Fizzy Drugs May Pose a High-Salt Danger, Study Suggests

TUESDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The high salt content of
fizzy medications like Alka-Seltzer could pose a threat to people
with heart disease, according to a new study.

The researchers want consumers to be aware of how much salt
certain over-the-counter drugs contain. In some cases, the salt
content of a day's worth of tablets exceeds American Heart
Association guidelines for daily salt intake -- and that's without
taking a single bite of food.

"There is a significant risk in taking these effervescent, dispersible and soluble medications over the long term," said lead researcher Dr. Jacob George, a senior clinical lecturer and honorary consultant in clinical pharmacology at the University of Dundee, in Scotland.

Excessive salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, stroke
and kidney disease. George said people with heart conditions or
those who are at risk for cardiovascular disease should stay away
from these fizzy medications.

Drug labels also should be required to include salt content just
as food labels do, George said.

Fizzy medications are more common in the United Kingdom than in
the United States. In Britain, many pain, headache and cold tablets
come in this form, as do indigestion treatments and vitamin
supplements, George said.

It's the salt in these medications reacting with water that adds
the fizz to the drugs.

Alka-Seltzer, an over-the-counter heartburn drug, is the most
well-known medication in this category in the United States, said
Ola Oyetayo, a pharmacist at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in
Temple, Texas.

One Alka-Seltzer tablet contains 445 milligrams of salt,
according to Bayer, the drug's maker. By taking the maximum
recommended dose -- two tablets four times a day -- you'll consume
3,560 mg. That's more than double the American Heart Association's
recommendation to limit salt intake to 1,500 milligrams of salt a
day.

According to the AHA, if Americans limited salt intake to the
recommended level, the nation would see a nearly 26 percent
decrease in high blood pressure and savings of more than $26
billion in health care costs in just one year.

A high-salt diet may be the reason one in three Americans
develop high blood pressure, according to the AHA.

Calls made to Bayer for comment on the study were not
returned.

For the study, George's team collected data on more than 1.2
million British patients. During an average of seven years of
follow-up, more than 61,000 heart attacks, strokes or deaths
occurred from heart disease among these patients.

The researchers found that patients taking at least two of these
medications during the study period were at a 16 percent increased
risk of a heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease compared
with patients taking the salt-free versions of those same
medications.

These findings remained unchanged even after taking into account
factors such as weight, smoking, alcohol, history of chronic
illnesses and use of some other medications, the researchers
said.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.